The invention pertains to the general field of socket wrenches and more particularly to a speed handle for a socket wrench that has an offset shaft with a rotating handle and a lockable position square drive head.
Previously, socket wrenches equipped with various types of speed handles, or spreader wrenches, have been used to provide an effective means for producing a fast and easy method of rotating a threaded fastener using conventional sockets. The usual approach is to utilize an extended handle that is bent with four 90 degree bends with a rotating grip on one end and the offset parallel with the handle shaft. This configuration permits the user to grasp both the grip and offset portion simultaneously and rotate the tool rapidly, much like a crank handle or the brace and bit. Many combinations of handle offsets and multiple bends have been used in the past for sockets and screwdrivers, to employ the principle of rapid manual rotation by the shape of the tool handle.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
Edmons in U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,452 teaches a speed handle with a ratchet drive having an offset between the axis of the handle and that of the ratchet drive for tight places where there is little room for the handle. The balance of the speed handle is conventional much like those currently available.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,189 issued to Marino, has a pair of handles displaced longitudinally by a given distance, and a hinge connecting a coupling to an arm or one of the handles, permitting relative movement therebetween about a pivot axis normal to the rotational axis of the coupling.
Anderson""s U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,477 is for a speed wrench using a S-curve shaped shank. The shank causes the axis of the tool to intersect the axis of the handle, thereby creating a cone-shaped pattern of rotation, which permits the user to rotate the tool""s handle with wrist motion. clank in U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,622 discloses a speed wrench consisting of a pair of concentric, rotatively-connected members. One arm is radially offset from the common axis of concentricity relative to the outer member such that cranking of the handle rotates a work engaging arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,712,765 issued to Knight, Jr. is for a wrist motion hand tool having a shaft with a pair of bends having a slight longitudinal or axial displacement in the bore of a pistol-grip shaped handle. The wrist motion of the user rotates the crank arm and only one hand is required to rotate the workpiece.
Stewart""s U.S. Pat. No. 460,256 teaches a handle for a rotary tool using a pair of bends in a shaft, that form a diagonal wrist. An anti-friction sleeve is added to the handle for ease of rotation.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates reference may be made to the patents issued to Ernst, Mehlau, et al, Inoue, Lindenberger, Schroeder, Tillman, carlsberg, Williamson, Mandl and Burch.
In today""s economy manpower is expensive and any tool or device that can reduce the time spent accomplishing a given task is of extreme importance. Therefore, the primary object of the invention is to provide a hand tool that can be utilized with most popular socket sets, and that shortens the time required to attach or remove a threaded fastener with a polygon-shaped or other configured head on the screw, bolt or nut. Normally, a ratchet handle is connected to a socket and ratcheted by radial motion with one hand while being held in place with the other hand. The instant invention permits a user to rapidly rotate the nut or bolt until it starts to tighten. The rapid rotation is accomplished by simple wrist action with considerably more speed than a conventional ratchet handle. By testing, it was determined that by using the instant invention, the tightening of a fastener, or the removal of a fastener, after its initial loosening, was four to five times faster than accomplished previously.
Further, it is an important object of the invention to initially loosen or finally tighten the fastener by simply repositioning the handle at a suitable angle to gain the maximum amount of torque. This repositioning is provided in a 180 degree arc by a rotatable drive head that permits the socket to remain on the workpiece and the handle to be moved to a convenient Position like a standard breaker bar or flex handle. As the invention is relatively short and compact, the user may shift from a vertical position to a 45 or 90 degree angle in almost one continuous motion. This allows the user to maintain absolute control of the socket upon the workpiece and to continue adding torque until the workpiece is tightened or the reverse if loosening is to be accomplished. AS the result of the drive head being repositionable, any combination of angular displacement is easily accomplished without lost motion.
Another object of the invention is directed to a unique locking system that secures the square drive head at a given angle relative to the handle. This feature is particularly useful when the tool is used like a xe2x80x9cbull handlexe2x80x9d or a so called xe2x80x9cL-handlexe2x80x9d. Further, the arrangement locks the head at equal angular increments, which would be at the most convenient positions. It should also be noted that it is not necessary to lock the head, as it rotates under a small amount of tension and is temporarily held at the angular displacement by a spring-loaded detent so it can be controllable during operation. Locking is easily and intuitively obvious by simply pressing a hinge pin in one direction or the other for positive positioning at the 45 degree increment.
Still another object of the invention is the combination of a rotatable handle and an offset shank in a compact configuration. This coalescence of elements permits the user to use only one hand to rotate the socket easily, whereas conventional ratchets require two hands. Flex handles and the like require removing the socket each time the rotational limit is reached. Conventional speeder handles are long and have limited utility as unrestricted space is essential to their function. In contrast, the instant invention is compact and may be used in most places or conventional ratchet handle is normally employed utilizing both the speeder handles quickness and the ratchets usefulness.
Yet another object of the invention is realized in the second embodiment wherein a second head is used, similar in function, only connecting the shank to the handle wherein the shank may be changed in its angular alignment relative to the handle. This embodiment is particularly useful in areas that are tight and hard to reach with conventional straight or fixed angle tools. It may be plainly seen that the use of another head permits the handle to be positioned independent of the square drive head therefore as many as five additional angles may be used in attempting to find the most practical approach to loosening or tightening a fastener even under the most difficult circumstances.
Still another object of the second embodiment of the invention is the feature that permits the wrench to be positioned in crank fashion with the handle vertical along with the square drive head. This unique position allows the fastener to be rotated like a crank handle with the shank horizontal or angled 180, 90 or 45 degrees while still retaining the ability to be rotated as described above in certain combinations of angles.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.